Showing titles in Poetry

Perhaps the first great and truly "American" poet, Walt Whitman's writing reflected the idealism and turbulence of the mid-19th century. His poetry broke new stylistic ground with its unconventional meter and rhyme schemes, yet celebrated democratic values, the beauty of nature, and the complex variety and vitality of American life.

A first person epic poem of Odysseus' life and journey. This poem has all the twists and turns that one might expect from the teller of the tale...which is in this case Odysseus himself. The poem starts with Odysseus chiding his unnamed summoner, thus narrating his life, starting with his childhood and ending with his ultimate triumph at the death of the suitors. However, Odysseus has an agenda of his own and attempts to turn the tables on his foe.

Among his many other attributes, James Elroy Flecker was a skilled linguist and an expert translator of Latin poetry. In 1913, he planned to write a book to be entitled An interpretation in blank verse of Virgil, Aeneid VI, based on the poetic value of the sounds, together with Latin text and ten prefaces. The surviving translation consists of lines 1-19 and 264-547 from book six, which describe Aeneas' encounter with Sibyl and his visit to the underworld.

The Castle of Indolence was published early in the summer of 1748, four months after the poet’s death. The work was a slow and leisurely composition, which took nearly fifteen years to complete. The poem consists of 158 stanzas, divided into two cantos. It is presented as an allegory and was professedly written in imitation of The Faerie Queene. The origin of the poem appears to be the frequent remonstrances of Thomson’s friends about the poet’s well-known indolence, regarding both life and composition.

Marie de France visse nel XII secolo, e di lei si sa pochissimo, solo quello che scrive di se stessa: "Il mio nome è Maria e sono di Francia. Visse probabilmente alla corte di Enrico II d'Inghilterra e di Eleonora d'Aquitania, ed è la più antica narratrice nelle letterature volgari d’Occidente. Questa è una collezione di storie cortesi (originalmente in lingua d’oïl ) – famose novelle d’amore tutte tramandate da canzoni bretoni.

Like his great contemporaries, John Keats and Lord Byron, Shelley suffered an untimely death, but still managed to stun the world with a wide-ranging body of work, including poetry, drama, and criticism. His poetry is that of a young man, a lover of nature and fiercely critical of institutionalized corruption, and virtuosic in his use of language and imagery.

This is a story from the Canterbury Tales III: Modern Verse Translation collection.

El cuento del marinero es una de las historias de Los cuentos de Canterbury de Geoffrey Chaucer. En esta narración, el Marinero relata las desventuras de una joven esposa, empleados inmorales y un monje engañoso. El cuento es una exploración satírica del engaño, la infidelidad y la naturaleza caótica de las relaciones humanas. Chaucer, conocido por su ingenio y su aguda observación de la sociedad medieval, teje un comentario humorístico pero crítico sobre las complejidades morales de su época.

Aristotle's Poetics (Greek: Περὶ ποιητικῆς; Latin: De Poetica) is the earliest surviving work of dramatic theory and first extant philosophical treatise to focus on literary theory. In it, Aristotle offers an account of what he calls "poetry" (a term that derives from a classical Greek term, ποιητής, that means "poet; author; maker" and in this context includes verse drama – comedy, tragedy, and the satyr play – as well as lyric poetry and epic poetry).

John Donne (1573-1631) is considered by many to be the finest poet of the Elizabeth Age after Shakespeare. Ironically, poetry was not Donne's dominant preoccupation. In his own day, he was better known as a scholar, and, in later life, a clergyman. His verse was composed sporadically and in an offhand fashion and appears not to have been subjected to revision. In spite of occasional solecisms, his poetic verbiage is vigorous and compelling and marked by a striking use of imagery.

Christopher Smart (1722-1771) was an English poet and scholar. This extraordinary poem, which is a florid display of Smart's opinions on a variety of theological, historical, and scientific subjects, was written between 1759 and 1763, while the author was confined in a lunatic asylum. His condition was diagnosed as religious mania, as evidenced by his compulsion to break into spontaneous prayer in public.

"La trilogie marseillaise" est l'appellation générique donnée à un ensemble de trois pièces de théâtre de Marcel Pagnol, "Marius", "Fanny" et "César". Selon Pagnol, cette pièce est "une œuvre locale, mais profondément sincère et authentique, qui peut prendre place dans le patrimoine littéraire d'un pays et plaire dans le monde entier" par ses aspects universels : L'amour, l'amitié, le tout étant un hymne à la gloire d'une ville et de ses habitants : Marseille.

For students of Middle English, Andrew and Waldron's The Poems of the Pearl Manuscript has been the key edition of the four Pearl poems for over 30 years. With the changing needs of today's students in mind, the editors produced a complete prose translation of the four poems - the best known of which is "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight". The near-literal translations are intended to facilitate understanding of the four poems - to lead readers to, rather than away from, the original texts.

The words of Kahlil Gibran give his book The Prophet a broad range of inspiration and philosophy. They provide exceptional insight into human desires and understanding. The vivid observations are vibrant with feeling and acceptance of life’s many questions and hopes. One review saluted the story as being untouched by the harshness of life. Gibran’s other two books, The Forerunner and The Madman, are of deep assistance in the same manner.

Arnolphe prétend qu'une femme ne peut être sage et vertueuse qu'autant qu'elle est ignorante et niaise. Aussi, pour avoir une épouse à sa guise, il fait élever sa jeune pupille, Agnès, au fond de sa maison, sous la garde d'un valet et d'une servante aussi niais qu'elle.

Probably one of the most dissected seduction poems ever written, "To His Coy Mistress" is a metaphysical poem written by the English author and politician Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) either during or just before the English Interregnum (1649-60). It was published posthumously in 1681. This poem is considered one of Marvell's finest and is possibly the best recognized carpe diem poem in English. Although the date of its composition is not known, it may have been written in the early 1650s.

Andrew Marvell was born in Winestead-in-Holderness, in the East Riding of Yorkshire on March 31st, 1621. He was educated at Hull Grammar School, and at the age of 13 he attended Trinity College, Cambridge, and eventually received his BA degree. It is thought that in 1642 Marvell travelled in Europe and, while England was embroiled in its civil war, remained there until 1647, mastering several languages including French, Italian and Spanish.

One of the beloved classics of popular spirituality, Kahlil Gibran’s masterpiece, The Prophet is a groundbreaking non-denominational collection of spiritual poetic aphorisms and essays known and loved throughout the world since its publication in 1923. Standing alongside Shakespeare and Lao Tzu, The Prophet has been translated into more than 100 languages, making it one of the most translated books in history. The Beatles, John F. Kennedy, and Indira Gandhi are among those who have been influenced by its words.

The Satires comprises a collection of satirical poems by the Latin author Juvenal written in the second century CE. Juvenal wrote in the Roman tradition of “satura”, a formal literary genre composed in dactylic hexameter rather than just witty criticism in any format. In a tone and manner that ranges from irony to rage, Juvenal criticizes the actions and beliefs of his contemporaries.

Œdipe... Aussi orgueilleux qu'opiniâtre, sa clairvoyance, son intelligence ont jadis eu raison de la cruelle Sphinge et de ses énigmes. Porté sur le trône par le peuple libéré pour avoir levé la terreur qui étouffait la ville de Thèbes, il doit encore prouver sa valeur : une malédiction incurable semble frapper sans distinction récoltes, troupeaux et habitants.